Need for substitute teachers is growing

Spending his days as a substitute teacher isn’t what Bob Ritchie planned to be doing as he approached his 67th birthday. But after retiring from working in 4-H at Purdue University about six years ago, he didn’t want to just sit around. Instead, he now spends nearly every day filling in at McCutcheon High School in Lafayette, Indiana.

“I could count on my hand the number of days I could have been there and wasn’t,” he said. “The other day I didn’t get a call, and I thought, ‘What do I do now?’ ” Attracting and retaining committed substitutes such as Ritchie is a challenge for local schools. Between the number of teachers getting sick, taking personal days and participating in professional development, the demand for substitutes has grown. The pool of subs hasn’t. Read about the shortage in The Journal & Courier online.